Tennis Perth Roger Federer cruises to win at Hopman Cup

Roger Federer made an nearly flawless start to his Australian Open preparation with a superb straight-sets win over Cameron Norrie as defending champions Switzerland beat Britain in the mixed teams Hopman Cup in Perth on Sunday (Dec 30).

"This was a great start but obviously a long way to go here and in Melbourne", Federer said.

This year's tournament is expected to be Perth's final Hopman Cup and Tuesday's group tie is an early sellout on the back of the prospect of seeing two of the all-time greats, with 43 grand slam singles titles between them, on the same court.

The tennis superstars will play each other for the first time when Switzerland take on the U.S. in the Hopman Cup mixed doubles on Tuesday.

They will play in men's and women's singles rubbers before meeting in the mixed doubles alongside partners Belinda Bencic and Frances Tiafoe.

Norrie, who had defeated Greek Stefanos Tsitsipas in straight sets Saturday, struggled to match Federer's crisp stroke-making. In an escalating argument, she called him a "thief" and accused him of stealing a point from her.

The duo face Roger Federer and Belinda Bencic of Switzerland on Sunday before finishing the group stage against the United States' Serena Williams and Frances Tiafoe.

Apple to start making high-end iPhones in India next year
It should be noted that it's now unknown whether Foxconn is planning to move its existing iPhone assembly from China to India. It is however unclear whether the production will be confined to assembly or include any component production in the country.

What is Trump's strategy for Syria and the region?
The Iraqi prime minister recently said Iraqi troops could deploy into Syria to protect Iraq from threats across its borders. Trump has not announced any plans to remove any of the 5,200 troops in Iraq and has never made any promises that he will.

Bomb attack kills 3 tourists, one Egyptian
The interior ministry confirmed the death of two of the tourists, and the state prosecutor's office later said a third had died. But that figure was still far short of the record influx in 2010 when over 14 million visitors flocked see the country's sites.

The minimum wage in MA will increase on January 1
The GOP-led state legislature in MI took extraordinary steps to deny a wage increase for hundreds of thousands of workers. The minimum wage for employees of New York City businesses with 11 or more employers will rise from $13 to $15 an hour.

Sears at Towne East one of 80 stores closing nationwide
The only public offer comes from the hedge fund controlled by Sears chairman Eddie Lampert, though it's not yet an official bid. The iconic but now bankrupt retailer announced Friday it was closing 80 more Sears and Kmart stores.

Elizabeth Warren takes major step toward running for president
The Cherokee Nation responded to the results at the time by arguing that "a DNA test is useless to determine tribal citizenship". She said she was launching an exploratory committee for president, which would help her raise funds early in the campaign cycle.